[POS] Biophysics

[POS-07] Simulation of Charges Distribution Dynamics Around a Rotating Bacterial Flagellum

*Suguru Ushioda¹, Masashi Tachikawa¹ (1. Yokohama City Univ. (Japan))

Keywords:

bacterial flagellar motility,numerical simulation

We consider how electric interactions between a bacterial flagellum and surrounding charged substances affect bacterial motility. Previous studies have revealed that materials around flagella improve bacterial swimming efficiency, and that flagella surfaces carry negative charges. Based on these reports, we hypothesized that bacterial flagella attract positive charges electrically, which enhances their propulsion efficiency. We modeled the flagellum as a rod of negative charges moving in a uniform circler motion, and simulated how the modeled flagellum changes a uniform distribution of positive charges. Consequently, positive charges follow the flagellum and form a donut-shaped distribution. In the future, we plan to combine these results with resistive-force theory to understand how electric interactions affect the propulsion force and torque in bacterial motility.